585
CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE
Exhaled leukotrienes and prostaglandins in COPD P Montuschi, S A Kharitonov, G Ciabattoni, P J Barnes .............................................................................................................................
Thorax 2003;58:585–588
See end of article for authors’ affiliations
....................... Correspondence to: Professor P Montuschi, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go F. Vito, 1-00168 Rome, Italy;
[email protected] Revised version received 3 December 2002 Accepted for publication 26 March 2003
.......................
Background: The role of eicosanoids, including leukotrienes (LTs) and prostaglandins (PGs), in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate whether eicosanoids are measurable in exhaled breath condensate (EBC), a non-invasive method of collecting airway secretions, in patients with stable mild to moderate COPD, and to show possible differences in their concentrations compared with control subjects. Methods: LTB4, LTE4, PGE2, PGD2-methoxime, PGF2α, and thromboxane B2 (TxB2) were measured in EBC in 15 healthy ex-smokers, 20 steroid naïve patients with COPD who were ex-smokers, and in 25 patients with COPD who were ex-smokers and who were treated with inhaled corticosteroids. The study was of cross sectional design and all subjects were matched for age and smoking habit. Results: LTB4 and PGE2 concentrations were increased in steroid naïve (LTB4: median 100.6 (range 73.5–145.0) pg/ml, p
